Bears Target Aircraft, Bowling, and Chips

Short sellers are making bold moves across sectors. Three stocks stand out as clear targets this week.

WLFC is the biggest mover among large-caps. Willis Lease Finance's short interest jumped to 55.7% of free float — up sharply from 21.2% just seven days ago. That's a 34-point spike in a single week. The aircraft leasing firm now has bears firmly in the cockpit.

Semiconductor name WOLF remains the most heavily shorted mid-cap stock. Wolfspeed carries 80.6% SI % of FF, with zero shares available to borrow. That tight squeeze setup, combined with a 162% three-month price rally, makes it one to watch closely.

Bowling chain operator LUCK posts a short score of 96 — near the top of the entire market. Days-to-cover sits at 47. Shorts are deeply committed here, and the cost to borrow has climbed to over 22% annually.

In options markets, BBIO caught attention today. BridgeBio Pharma's put-call ratio spiked to 1.24 — its highest in 52 weeks. That's a four-standard-deviation move above its 20-day mean, signalling extreme bearish options positioning.

Space-adjacent fintech ASTS saw short interest tick up 1.78 percentage points week-on-week to 25.7% of float. HOG also drew new bears, rising to 17.7% SI % of FF.

With borrowing costs rising and availability dropping, short sellers are picking their battles carefully. The pressure is building.